On Wednesday, funeral services concluded for the 5-time Ireland's Strongest Man winner, Patrick ‘Pa’ O’Dwyer, who passed away on Saturday, January 3, 2026.

Family, friends, and neighbours gathered in St Mary’s Church in Rathkeale paid their final farewell to the “Limerick Lion”. More than 4000 people joined online and mourned the man who “stood up for the underdog."

After this news spread online and within the community, tributes from fans and the fitness community began to pour in. Kortney Olson, the American-Australian personal trainer and bodybuilder, commented on Instagram, “God Speed.” Former British strongman Eddie Hall posted a reel on Instagram with the caption, "Rest Easy, My friend."

Eddie Hall also "raised £180k and counting" for Patrick ‘Pa’ O’Dwyer's family through donations. Professional Trainer Jacek Wieczorek commented, “Rest in prace Big Man. My heart is broken.”

Nutritionist Dorian Soanes also paid his respects, saying, “RIP Pa, I got a lot of enjoyment from your content throughout the years. Thoughts and condolences to your family.”

O’Dwyer not only built his legacy in Ireland, but he also has left his mark on the UK’s strength community. He was the first strongman from Ireland in 2 decades to earn the UK’s strongman title in 2018. However, he also tried to venture into another sport.

Patrick ‘Pa’ O’Dwyer’s unfulfilled dream

O’Dwyer set a challenge for himself that he wished to achieve by the age of 40. He wanted to lose more weight and hit the bodybuilding stage. After losing weight, he was well on his way to fulfilling the second part of his dream.

On an Instagram post, on 24 th November, 2025, he posted, “Last day of my cut. Body weight 103.5kg from 143kg. Now it’s time to bulk up again for 7 weeks and then begin the cut again and do my first bodybuilding show.”

He also added, “Cutting weight is simple, it’s just not easy, the same 6 meals per day every day for months, cardio every morning, and train 5 x week. I love the hardship without some sort of hardship, I find myself lost.”

Sadly, the stage Patrick ‘Pa’ O’Dwyer dreamed of will never see the strongman compete. However, his journey remains a reminder of the hunger to push boundaries.

Written by

Supradeep Dutta

Edited by

Sagnik Bagchi